Rishi Sunak’s coronation as the next Prime Minister without a single vote being cast is a dangerous day for democracy.
Weeks after being rejected by Tory voters, Sunak took part in a secret leadership contest to succeed Liz Truss.
No vote was taken at any level and nobody, from Conservative party members to the public, was consulted.
It was a stitch-up perpetrated by 357 Tory MPs who decided that the process for selecting the new PM should be kept “in-house”.
And of course, this is yet another PM from a party roundly rejected by the people of Scotland for generations.
For those who value democracy in Scotland and across the United Kingdom, this is an insult.
Sunak’s elevation is the culmination of the non-stop Tory chaos that has brought the country to its knees.
Much of 2022 has been dominated by the disgraceful evasions of Boris Johnson as he tried to dodge the truth about Partygate.
He was belatedly bundled out of office after promoting an MP who he knew had been accused of sexual misconduct.
That set in train a Tory psychodrama that ushered in the hapless Liz Truss as PM and economic meltdown.
Her humiliating exit has now led to Sunak, the man she beat, replacing her after a “contest” that excluded the public.
The UK has now had four chancellors in four months and Sunak will be the third PM since September. The UK used to be a byword for political stability but the Tories have turned the country into an international laughing stock.
Sunak’s rise to the top job would shame a banana republic.
He has even managed to succeed Truss without making a single policy commitment over the last few days.
Despite the back slapping on show yesterday, Sunak has no mandate to govern and no right to pursue whatever agenda he has up his well-tailored sleeve.
On one level, Sunak becoming PM is an important moment for the UK.
He is the first British Asian to become leader and his occupancy of No10 will show how far we have come in combating racism.
But serious questions must be raised, not only about how he has become PM, but also on his fitness for office.
His resignation as chancellor in the summer is credited with the downfall of Johnson but he hung around until the bitter end.
His family’s wealth, and the amount they have paid in tax, will also dog him in Downing Street.
Voters across the UK will be horrified by how one party has dragged the reputation of the country into the gutter.
Keir Starmer and Nicola Sturgeon have stepped up their demand for a general election to give voters a say on this
travesty.
They are right and the election must be called immediately.
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